Review Blog

Oct 21 2016

Goodnight everyone by Chris Haughton

Walker, 2016. ISBN 9781406352320
(Age: 6 months - 6) Highly recommended.
'No dreamer is ever too small, no dream is ever too big'.
Chris Haughton's Goodnight Everyone is a simply told bedtime
story, starting with a small yawn, that grows bigger and bigger
until all the forest creatures fall asleep. Each turn of the page
reveals the mice, hares, deer even Great Big Bear, and they are
covered up and almost tucked into bed by the movement of the page.
Of course Little Bear will not give, however all the animals are too
tired and he too falls fast asleep.
Haughton's mastery of colour saturation, shape manipulation,
composition and layout are key elements. Multi-layered digital
images in vibrant, rainbow tones encapsulate and enliven this
bedtime story. Engagement with the actions from small yawns, to
gentle snores and a goodnight kiss opens up the simple, soothing
narrative to a young baby.
The front and endpapers show the Southern and Northern night skies
with the planets in order from the sun. The Little Bear and Big Bear
constellations are highlighted and their shapes transform into the
main characters. As the story is shared, look for the dandelion seed
blown by one of the mice; it floats through the pages like the
circle of life.
The easy to recite responsive text and bold illustrations make Goodnight
Everyone by Chris Haughton a fantastic picture book for
families to share. He writes about the inspiration for the book here.
Rhyllis Bignell